Jeremiah 35:6-11: a reflection

6But they said, “We will drink no wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, ‘You shall drink no wine, neither you nor your children, forever. 7You shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, or have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that you may live many days in the land in which you live as nomads.’ 8We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters; 9and not to build houses for ourselves to dwell in. We have no vineyard, field, or seed; 10but we have lived in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, we said, ‘Come! Let’s go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians; so we will dwell at Jerusalem.’”

God holds up the Rechabites as an example to unfaithful Judah, and what he commends is their steadfast, consistent faithfulness. Their forefather Jonadab had commanded them to drink no wine and to dwell in tents; and generations later, they had kept his command faithfully: We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab our father in all that he commanded us. Through the years, across the generations, they had held to their commitment with a steadfast consistency. Their faithfulness was not a matter of a single moment, but of a long, unbroken consistency, keeping their commitment over a lifetime and beyond.

Notice what is commended in the Rechabites: their steadfast, consistent faithfulness over generations. They had kept a commitment, held to it not for a day or a season but over the whole course of their lives and their children's lives. Their faithfulness was consistent, unbroken, held to through the years; they did not keep the command for a while and then drift, but kept it steadfastly, generation after generation. This long consistency, this steadfast holding to a commitment over time, was what God held up as an example, in contrast to Judah's inconstancy. The faithfulness commended was not a burst of devotion but a steady, consistent keeping of their commitment over the long haul.

That is worth taking to heart, for God values steadfast, consistent faithfulness held to over the long haul. We can be devoted in bursts, faithful for a season and then drifting, inconsistent in our commitments over time; but God held up the Rechabites' steadfast, consistent faithfulness, kept over generations, as an example. The faithfulness God values is not merely a moment's devotion but a steady consistency, keeping our commitments over the long haul. Do not be faithful only in bursts, keeping your commitments for a season and then drifting; hold to them steadfastly, consistently, over the long haul, as the Rechabites kept theirs over generations. Hold to your commitments to God with steadfast, consistent faithfulness over the long haul, not merely in bursts of devotion, as the Rechabites kept their forefather's command faithfully over generations; for God values a steady, consistent faithfulness held to over time, and the long, unbroken keeping of our commitments is worth more than bursts of devotion that soon fade.

Lord, you hold up the Rechabites as an example to unfaithful Judah, and what you commend is their steadfast, consistent faithfulness. Their forefather Jonadab had commanded them to drink no wine and to dwell in tents; and generations later, they had kept his command faithfully: we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab our father in all that he commanded us. Through the years, across the generations, they had held to their commitment with a steadfast consistency. Their faithfulness was not a matter of a single moment, but of a long, unbroken consistency. Show me what is commended in the Rechabites: their steadfast, consistent faithfulness over generations. They had kept a commitment, held to it not for a day or a season but over the whole course of their lives. Their faithfulness was consistent, unbroken, held to through the years; they did not keep the command for a while and then drift. This long consistency was what you held up as an example, in contrast to Judah's inconstancy. Take that to my heart, for you value steadfast, consistent faithfulness held to over the long haul. I can be devoted in bursts, faithful for a season and then drifting, inconsistent in my commitments over time; but you held up the Rechabites' steadfast faithfulness, kept over generations, as an example. The faithfulness you value is not merely a moment's devotion but a steady consistency. Keep me from being faithful only in bursts, keeping my commitments for a season and then drifting; help me hold to them steadfastly, Lord, over the long haul, as the Rechabites kept theirs over generations.